Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 158-176
Author(s):  
Karen Bearss ◽  
Aaron J. Kaat
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Delayed Recognition

This chapter will review the available evidence on individuals with co-occurring diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This chapter contends that children diagnosed with both disorders (ASD+ADHD) are a subset of the ASD population that is at risk for delayed recognition of their ASD diagnosis, poor treatment response, and poorer functional outcomes compared to those with ASD without ADHD. Specifically, the chapter highlights the best estimates of the prevalence of the comorbidity, the developmental trajectory of people with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, how ADHD symptoms change across development, overlapping genetic and neurobiological risk factors, psychometrics of ADHD diagnostic instruments in an ASD population, neuropsychological and functional impairments associated with co-occurring ASD and ADHD, and the current state of evidence-based treatment for both ASD and ADHD symptoms. Finally, the chapter discusses fruitful avenues of research for improving understanding of this high-risk comorbidity so that mechanism-to-treatment pathways for ADHD in children with ASD can be better developed.

scholarly journals Driving among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Safety ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Bishop ◽  
Logan Boe ◽  
Despina Stavrinos ◽  
Jessica Mirman
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Transportation Safety ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Adolescent Drivers

Over the past several decades there has been a surge of research on the contextual, biological, and psychological factors associated with transportation safety in adolescence. However, we know much less about the factors contributing to transportation safety among adolescents who do not follow a typical developmental trajectory. Adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have a wide range of behavioral and psychological deficits that may make the complex task of driving even more challenging. Because these adolescents often retain characteristic symptoms of their disorder into adulthood, it may impede their ability to achieve important milestones during the developmental transition from adolescent to adult. As the motivating force behind autonomous living and employment, the capacity for independent transportation is paramount to an adolescent’s overall success. This critical review will draw from the current body of literature on adolescent drivers with developmental disabilities to determine (1) areas of impairment; (2) safety risk factors; and (3) effective interventions for improving driving safety in this vulnerable population of adolescent drivers between the ages of 15–22. This review will also identify important unanswered research questions, and summarize the current state of the literature.

scholarly journals Actigraph-Measured Movement Correlates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Young People with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) with and without Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 491
Author(s):  
Tom Earnest ◽  
Elizabeth Shephard ◽  
Charlotte Tye ◽  
Fiona McEwen ◽  
Emma Woodhouse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Tuberous Sclerosis ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Actigraphy, an objective measure of motor activity, reliably indexes increased movement levels in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and may be useful for diagnosis and treatment-monitoring. However, actigraphy has not been examined in complex neurodevelopmental conditions. This study used actigraphy to objectively measure movement levels in individuals with a complex neurodevelopmental genetic disorder, tuberous sclerosis (TSC). Thirty participants with TSC (11–21 years, 20 females, IQ = 35–108) underwent brief (approximately 1 h) daytime actigraph assessment during two settings: movie viewing and cognitive testing. Multiple linear regressions were used to test associations between movement measurements and parent-rated ADHD symptoms. Correlations were used to examine associations between actigraph measures and parent-rated ADHD symptoms and other characteristics of TSC (symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual ability (IQ), epilepsy severity, cortical tuber count). Higher movement levels during movies were associated with higher parent-rated ADHD symptoms. Higher ADHD symptoms and actigraph-measured movement levels during movies were positively associated with ASD symptoms and negatively associated with IQ. Inter-individual variability of movement during movies was not associated with parent-rated hyperactivity or IQ but was negatively associated with ASD symptoms. There were no associations with tuber count or epilepsy. Our findings suggest that actigraph-measured movement provides a useful correlate of ADHD in TSC.

The Effect of Comorbid with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms on Face Encoding and Retrieving in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Chen ◽  
Zengjian Wang ◽  
Bin Wan ◽  
Qingxin Chen ◽  
Yu Jin
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Adhd Group ◽  
Adhd Symptoms ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Lower Accuracy

Abstract BackgroundVisuospatial working memory (VSWM) impairments were common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the detailed processing characteristics when facing face stimuli has not been studied. The present study aimed to explore the deficits of face encoding and retrieving, two processing periods of VSWM, in children with ASD. Furthermore, the influence of comorbid with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and executive function (EF) on VSWM were discussed.MethodsA sample of 98 children were analyzed in the present study including ASD- (ASD-only, n = 24), ADHD (n = 23), ASD+ (with ADHD symptoms, n = 23) and neurotypical controls (NTC, n = 28). Social Responsive Scale (SRS) and Swanson, Nolan, Pelham-IV rating scales (SNAP-IV) were applied to measure autistic and ADHD-related symptoms. We employed face encoding and retrieving task to examine the ability of VSWM as well as Wisconsin Cart Sorting Test (WCST) to assess the EF.ResultsWe found that the children with ASD- exhibited lower accuracy in both face encoding and retrieving, while subjects with ASD + showed lower accuracy in the face retrieving. No evidence implied a deficit of VSWM in ADHD group. We also found diverse indices of EF contributed to the individuals’ differences of VSWM performance in different clinical groups: categories completed (CC) predicted the accuracy of face retrieving in ASD- group; perseverative responses errors (RPE) predicted the response time (RT) of face retrieving in ADHD and ASD + group; while failure to maintain set (FMS) and RPE predicted the RT of face encoding in ASD + group.LimitationsThe sample size is still small and the sample mainly comprised of intellectually able participants. Therefore, our findings should not be overinterpreted.ConclusionOur findings indicate that comorbid with ADHD symptoms and EF may modulate the deficit of face encoding in children with ASD. The study shed lights on the transdiagnostic neurocognitive basis and re-emphasize the importance of considering ADHD-comorbid condition in ASD.Qi Chen and Zengjian Wang contributed equally to this work as the joint first authors.

scholarly journals Medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in individuals with or without coexisting autism spectrum disorder: analysis of data from the Swedish prescribed drug register

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Johansson ◽  
Sven Sandin ◽  
Zheng Chang ◽  
Mark J. Taylor ◽  
Paul Lichtenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Adhd Medication ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Drug Register

Abstract Background Clinical studies found that medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is effective in coexisting autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but current research is based on small clinical studies mainly performed on children or adolescents. We here use register data to examine if individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD present differences in the prescribing patterns of ADHD medication when compared to individuals with pure ADHD. Methods Data with information on filled prescriptions and diagnoses was retrieved from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the National Patient Register. We identified 34,374 individuals with pure ADHD and 5012 individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD, aged between 3 and 80 years. The first treatment episode with ADHD medications (≥ 2 filled prescriptions within 90 days) and daily doses of methylphenidate during a 3-year period was measured. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for the likelihood of being prescribed ADHD medication in individuals with and without ASD and Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare group differences in dose per day. Results Individuals with ADHD and coexisting ASD were less likely to start continuous treatment with ADHD medication (ADHD 80.5%; ADHD with ASD 76.2%; OR, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.86), were less likely to be prescribed methylphenidate, and were more commonly prescribed second line treatments such as dexamphetamine, amphetamine, or modafinil. No group difference was observed for atomoxetine. In adults with ADHD and coexisting ASD, methylphenidate was prescribed in lower daily doses over three years as compared to individuals with pure ADHD. Conclusions The findings indicate that there are differences in the medical treatment of individuals with or without ASD. If these differences are due to different medication responses in ASD or due to other factors such as clinicians’ perceptions of medication effects in patients with ASD, needs to be further studied.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document